Aculeus to the Heart
by pinup4ever
Summary: Things get messy when the love triangle between Up, Taz, and Pincer is unearthed.


Taz lay in Up's arms. She was curled into his bare chest, her soft lips just grazing the tips of his collarbones. Her disheveled hair tickled the underside of Up's chin, but he took no notice. Up stared straight ahead, mindlessly running a hand over Taz's naked hip. She was asleep, but he had no hope in hell of joining her and Sergeant Sandman's teddy bear platoon. Not when he had other things-other people-on his mind.

Up was merely sleeping with Taz for the image. Everyone on the starship-no, everyone in the Galactic League-expected them to be together. It was only natural, wasn't it? They were the two super-soldiers, the legendary team, from the Robot Wars. They had been through everything together. She'd be there for him before his injury, but only for a short time afterwards. It had been hard for Taz to grow accustomed to the new Up, the one who cried when he missed his favorite television program and couldn't punch a mirror hard enough to break the glass. For a while she had distanced herself. But with the latest mission on Bug World complete, Up had apparently redeemed himself in her eyes. He fell into her good graces again and it wasn't long before Taz's hand lingered on Up's wrist when catching his attention. He didn't shake off her efforts, but encouraged them. Up needed something-no, someone-to distract the other Rangers from his frequent disappearances off the ship. They didn't need to know that his interest targeted a much... _larger_ being.

Up no longer hungered for a five-fingered touch. The cool curve of a pincer against the small of his back, pulling him closer, was enough. More than enough. As was the tickling sensation of a pair of chelicercae brushing against his cheeks, threading into his mustache. These were the feelings that he ached for in the dead of night, with Taz in his arms. She couldn't give him what he wanted.

Not that he blamed her. Taz was only human-and a small one at that. In another life she held his heart in the palm of her hand. But that was before his injury, before the last mission. Now his heart, the only true part of him left, was contained in another's claw.

Tilting his head down to gently brush his lips against the top of Taz's head, Up slowly untangled himself from her. Her sleeping form stirred slightly, but fell still once more when he pulled the G.L.E.E.-issued blanket up to her chin.

"Goodnight, sleep tight, little Ranger," Up whispered softly, the familiar words of the lullaby tasting sweet on his tongue. "Dream sweet dreams of me and you." He left his commander's bunk silently, stopping only to pull on a pair of sweats. Barefooted and bare-chested, Up padded down the hall. He took a mental moment to thank the dead God that the corridor was empty. If he was lucky, he could get back to Taz before she awoke and no one would even know that he'd been gone.

Being the commander certainly had its advantages-like having complete access to all areas of the starship. Up slipped his keys to the drop pod into the ignition and impatiently waited as the pod took several seconds to load up and undock. Thankfully, the ship was stopped only several space-miles away from Bug World. Bug and February weren't ready to say goodbye yet and none of the Rangers were too keen to pressure them. Bug may have been made the ambassador to Bug World, but that didn't give him the permission to soar around the galaxy with the Starship Rangers all the time. He had responsibilities and a home on his own planet.

The trip, as expected, didn't take long. Before he knew it, Up found himself surrounded by the red soil, humid air, and constant buzzing of Bug World. Though it took some time to get accustomed to, Up was being to feel at home on the always sunny foreign planet. He set off on his well-worn path to the cave where he was awaited.

He heard the restless clicking of claws before stepping into the mouth of the cave. Up smiled in anticipation. As much as he didn't want to keep _him_ waiting, he somehow took a special liking to the few short moments before meeting. They both knew what was coming next. Their bodies knew it too, for Up could already feel his stomach doing cartwheels. The tension was excruciatingly delicious. It let Up know exactly how much he had been craving _his_ touch. All day, all night.

Finally, he was going to get it.

Up stepped forward and ducked into the shade of the cave. The temperature instantly dropped and it took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the new light.

And there _he_ was. Massive and orange, just as always. Twelve beady eyes glittered from the bright light coming from the mouth of the cave. Two thin strands, the chelicercae, reached for the commander. Up responded, moving toward the hulking shape and allowing the appendages to feather over his face and naked chest.

"Pincer," Up breathed, stretching his arms up and around the scorpion's torso. His hands didn't meet on the other side, but that was alright. Up loved the vastness of his lover. It had been a long time since he'd been with someone bigger than himself. For once he felt somewhat fragile, delicate in Pincer's capable claws. Up never felt afraid though. He trusted the arachnid with his life. No, more than his life.

The scorpion clicked with delight and moved into the human's touch. He gathered Up into his pedipalps and hugged him tight. In his excited state, his stinger reactively swung forward and caught Up on the shoulder. But Up didn't notice that as pressed his mouth against Pincer's. The sting of a scorpion no longer burned when it was welcome.


End file.
